The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory activity, accounting for both regulatory and deregulatory actions.
From Jan. 31 through Feb. 4, the Federal Register grew by 1,996 pages for a year-to-date total of 6,758 pages.
The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.
This week’s Federal Register featured the following 624 documents:
- 483 notices
- Four presidential documents
- 75 proposed rules
- 62 final rules
Six proposed rules, including particulate matter emission standards for certain aircraft engines from the Environmental Protection Agency, and five final rules, including an interim rule to amend regulations regarding informed consent and advance directives from the Veterans Affairs Department were deemed significant under E.O. 12866—defined by the potential to have large impacts on the economy, environment, public health, or state or local governments. Significant actions may also conflict with presidential priorities or other agency rules. The Biden administration has issued 22 significant proposed rules, 29 significant final rules, and zero significant notices as of Feb. 4.
Ballotpedia maintains page counts and other information about the Federal Register as part of its Administrative State Project. The project is a neutral, nonpartisan encyclopedic resource that defines and analyzes the administrative state, including its philosophical origins, legal and judicial precedents, and scholarly examinations of its consequences. The project also monitors and reports on measures of federal government activity.
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